Dozens of young local residents have been taking a first look at what’s going to be on offer at a pioneering new youth and community hub in Byker.
The Lighthouse Project has opened its doors for the first time for a showcase event which featured demonstrations and interactive activities from some of the people and groups that will use the new venue as a base.
More than 90 children from the nearby Byker Primary School and St Lawrence Catholic Primary School and the Byker Scout Group took part in a range of outdoor forest activities, with other activities including cookery classes, sports sessions, arts and crafts, music and breakdancing.
Ben Roman, chief executive at The Lighthouse Project, says: “The idea for the Lighthouse Project first arose out of a passion for working with young people on the Byker Estate and a frustration with the lack of purpose-built facilities in the area to support this work.
“To see this idea becoming a reality and to be able to witness the reaction of people coming through the doors for the first time was brilliant for the whole Lighthouse Project team and we’re so excited at where we’re going from here.”
The Lighthouse Project will provide a safe, welcoming meeting place where young people and the community can flourish, and is expected to welcome around 1,500 young people and their families through its doors each year.
It has been created through the 18-month long renovation of St Michael’s Church on Saint Michael’s Mount, and will be the base for a broad range of activities and services centred around young people, including an open access youth club for juniors and seniors, homework clubs, family health & wellbeing programmes and a forest school.
Mentoring, special educational needs support and detached youth work will be delivered in cooperation with local delivery partners, while the redevelopment also includes a new purpose-built youth club annexe, arts & performance spaces, e-sports suite, music rehearsal space, outdoor sports area and a nature trail.
Office, meeting & storage facilities will be available for local community partner organisations, while the building will also provide a new home for the Byker Scout Group and a reimagined worship space.
The Lighthouse Project will now gradually begin to introduce a full timetable of events and activities, with an official opening event expected to take place later in the year.
The project has been made possible by a £4.2m grant from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s Youth Investment Fund, as well as substantial funding from the Lord Crewe Trust and The Squires Foundation, and it has also seen a growing number of regional businesses wanting to get involved through long-term funding and sponsorship agreements.
Ben Roman continues: “Our showcase day gave us a chance to share this wonderful venue with the local community for the first time and to give people a taste of all the different things that are going to be happening at the Lighthouse Project.
“The feedback we had from all our visitors was extremely positive, and there’s going to be a lot more to follow as we get fully up to speed.
“This is a landmark, long-term project that’s winning the support of a growing number of grant-giving organisations and North East businesses, and it has the potential to deliver a huge range of benefits for the people of Byker and the wider city.”
For further information, please visit https://thelighthouseproject.org.uk/ or follow @lighthouseprojectbyker on Instagram.